Again news from the very talented and extremely productive Anthony Kalugin (Hoggwash/ Karfagen/ Sunchild) this time under the moniker Karfagen. It is a voyage through varied music styles (traditional folk/ prog, jazz rock and rock) on 14 tracks all together, with excellent compositions and fine delivery from all involved!! All tracks composed by Kalugin and Kovalov, some together, some by each of these keyboard wizards. To indicate how style blended and complex the music on this album really is, let me mention the numerous instrumentation: Keyboards (of course), Bayan, accordion, flute, clarinet, cello, sax, pipe reed, viola, violin, oboe and of course guitars, bass, drums, percussion and vocals!! Let me tell you the music herein is just as varied as all these instruments would indicate!! One moment it is almost traditional like folk-music both Balkan & Nordic sounding, the next it is cinematic/soundtrack like, only to cross over hard rock and jazzy thematic and finally some real prog moments! All very intriguing and very well delivered, it is quite an amazing album, granted probably not to everyone´s taste, but for those of you (like me) whom like your music with dare, flair and boundary crossing, this is an excellent choice for your next purchase and a sure item for your fine prog collection! So, over an hour of brilliant music for your listening pleasure (sounds a bit like a commercial, doesn't it?!) ...I promise you, if you liked the above sentences and the music styles implied, then you are in for a real treat!

Aleatoric is a term that is coined by musicians/composers like Karl-Heinz Stockhausen and Pierre Boulez in 1957 at the Ferienkurse in Darmstadt (Hessen/Germany). It is, to tell it most easy, music that lets you hear circular themes in music in different costumes. That is what Antony Kalugin does here with his band Karfagen. My opinion is, that this has a start in the Sandpiper-album where you can also listen to a kind of conceptional continuity (FZ) but on Aleactorica it is more intensiv. You have only to regular songs on this album, and "A day without rain" is my favorite (it reminds me to "Last minute on earth from the FloKi's). but also Mad dogs of destiny has high quality ? listen to the words listener! This album is coherent and has brilliant ideas of the composer and the band. Karfagen is build of most musicians from "Sunchild" and some of the songs are written by and with Sergii Kovalov (I think, he can play each instrument, but I only know by 7 of them). This album is made in the time of nearly 4 years and I think, they waiting is recompended. For everyone who likes conceptual records and new ideas in prog/rock music ? I advise this album to buy! Thankx Antony and Karfagen for the music!

Karfagen is a Ukrainian symphonic rock band which mostly seems to perform instrumental music. It is made up by the composer Antony Kalugin and one this record from 2013 a lot of other musicians too. Together they play a wonderful world of songs and melodies, played on a lot of symphonic instrument with not so little inspiration from folk music.

When this record was released last year I noticed it got good ratings but noone reviewed it and the music was hard to find. This summer I went to Ukraine, I came home today and I found the music a week before I went away to the east. I loved Ukraine, its culture and a romantic undestroyed touch in the society. This music perhaps takes inspiration from all of that, and of course the whole world of progressive rock.

The record is a unit of well composed musical material which is performed on various instruments and shows different aspects of life. A few songs have lyrics and they are good, but not what's making the album special. My favourite tracks are the first: "Aleatorica"(10/10) which gives a little of everything, "D'Ale" where I guess I hear bag pipes in a mediaval harmony(10/10) and "Whirlabout" which is amongst the album's most glamorous and symphonic(10/10). Almost as good are "Gnome in a bathroom"(9/10) and "Solar cydes"(9/10), also medieval. I wouldn't say that any song here lacks interest and they become as their best if you listen to them together.

I look forward to hear more from Karfagen, they seem to have made an album even this year 2014. I also like the cover of "Aleatorica" with a lot of pictures, which aren't very symphonic but quite pretty. Aleatorica is a fine 4/5 record which I recommend!